Yainer Diaz DVOA, Advanced Stats, & Fantasy Rankings

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz is not in the starting nine on Saturday when they continue a series against the Seattle Mariners. Diaz has started each of the previous three contests. Over this stretch, the backstop has held a .273/.429/.273 line with a 5:2 K:BB. Since the start of May, Diaz has begun to turn the corner following his slow start, holding a .273/.318/.425 slash line with three doubles, three home runs, and a 16:3 K:BB. Fantasy managers should expect the 26-year-old to return to the starting nine on Sunday. This afternoon, the Astros will give the starting nod to switch-hitter Victor Caratini, who will bat in the five-hole. However, he is best left out of your DFS lineups, facing Seattle right-hander Bryan Woo, who enters this game holding a 2.65 ERA.

Houston Astros catcher Yainer Diaz hit his fourth home run of the season on Sunday, a three-run shot in a 6-0 win over the Reds. He's now slashing .238/.267/.385 on the season, but that doesn't necessarily tell the whole story. He was one of the coldest hitters in baseball through the first couple of weeks of 2025, but he has quietly been himself as of late. Heading into Sunday, he was batting .304 over the past month and .370 in the past two weeks. The 26-year-old remains the best option for batting average at the position and looks to be on his way to another season as one of the best offensive catchers in the league.

Houston Astros designated hitter Yordan Alvarez and catcher Yainer Diaz are resting in Wednesday's series finale against the visiting Detroit Tigers. Outfielder Jose Altuve is serving as the DH and is batting second, while Victor Caratini is doing the catching and hitting fifth against Tigers rookie right-hander Jackson Jobe. Zach Dezenzo is in left field and is hitting eighth. Alvarez had an undisclosed injury scare on Monday and was pulled early against Detroit, but he returned to action on Tuesday and went 1-for-4 with an RBI in the 6-4 victory. It's still early, but the three-time All-Star hasn't been his normal self in 2025 to this point with a .219/.316/.354 slash line and three homers in 96 at-bats. Diaz will get a breather after starting the last four games. He, too, has also struggled at the plate early on, going 17-for-91 (.187) with two homers, 12 RBI and eight runs scored for Houston.